Characterization and classification of spirituous beverages by total reflection x-ray fluorescence

The total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) technique was applied for the multi-elemental analysis of spirituous beverages like rum, cocuy (typical spirituous beverage in Venezuela), whiskey and wine, in order to classify the samples by product processing and geographical origin by chemometric analysis. Special attention was paid to the cocuy samples, since there is a lack of quality control of this beverage, mainly due to the home-made product processing. The use of the Compton peak information was evaluated for the determination of organic content in samples. In the specifically case of cocuy samples the Compton peak area was correlated to the ash content for detection of adulteration with sugar syrup. Cocuy samples were also analyzed using gas chromatography, for pH, acidity, ash content and refractometry, in order to develop the recognition pattern. The TXRF analysis was carried out in a Canberra spectrometer, using the K α-line of a Motube, by a direct procedure previously developed. The analysis of the data was done by using principal components analysis and a confidence test. The results show that TXRF and chemometric analysis is a useful tool for quality control of spirituous beverages, not only concerning to metal content, but also in the evaluation of sugar and non volatile organic content. (author)